A Little of the Old In and Out



(image via edge.org)

In: Michael Hirschorn. Yeah, like The Corsair is the only one ODing on the delicious schadenfreude of watching "Breaking Bonaduce." (Steroid cocktail anyone? Spousal abuse?) Anyhoo: our old acquaintance and all-around swell media guy Michael Hirschorn, the man who brought us the concept of celebreality, has been promoted. It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy, we say. According to Paidcontent:

"Michael Hirschorn has been at VH1 for several years (a reminder of how long it's been since Inside went poof) and has been promoted at VH1 to EVP-Original Programming and Production. He's now responsible for all current VH1 original programming and development, music development, celebrity talent development and the new push into scripted series. He continues to report to Brian Graden, president-entertainment, MTV Music Networks Group."

You do your thing, Michael; you do your thing.



(image via shefinds)

Out: 2005 Style. The gang at Fashionweekdaily asked key members of the fashionable set about their fashion regrets of 2005. A taste:

"Ione Skye: 'I bought fake Uggs. I gave them to Goodwill. I wouldn�t wear real Uggs because I am averse to trends, especially when they are four years old. After all, Uggs were meant to wear as slippers or gardening around the house, not to walk around Soho or Fred Segal.'

"Mickey Boardman: American Apparel hot-pants. They're still very cute, but I wore them around during Fashion Week and when I saw my picture in various publications I thought, �What the hell am I wearing?� I looked cute but way too aerobics-wear for Bryant Park. I'd be sitting next to someone in head-to-toe Balenciaga and I was in a Marni blouse, pink hot pants and an old sneaker! So I'll save those for lounging at home or at the trainer.'

"Michael Musto: 'A shaggy top that looks like it's made of hanging, grayish-green bits of Astroturf. It's a one-joke item that won't bear repeating, though at least it only cost 99-cents.'"

So best. More here.



(image via news.yahoo)

In: Ted Koppel. Ted Koppel is knows how to court prestige in the wake of a significant salary cut. With all the sangfroid of a head waiter and the worst fucking toupee in the media business, Ted is still stirring the waters that the Chattering Classes wade in. Off of Nightline, Koppel flirted with ultimately nixed the idea of becoming a sort of trophy wife of HBO in favor of a more hands-on role as managing editor of documentaries for Discovery Channel, the History channel's coarser, sluttier sister.

Koppell is also headed to the Op-Ed page of the New York Times, according to smartmoney (via iwantmedia):

"New York Times Co.'s flagship newspaper hired broadcast journalist Ted Koppel as a contributing columnist, starting Jan. 29.

"In a press release Thursday, the newspaper publisher said Koppel's column will appear on the Op-Ed page periodically.

"Earlier this month, Discovery Channel named Koppel managing editor to host and produce documentaries. He served as anchor and managing editor of 'Nightline' since 1980, but quit ABC News when his contract expired Dec. 4."



(image via johnlathan.house.org)

Out: John Boehner. Although the race is not over, Congressman John Boehner -- surprisingly -- is behind out-of-the-gate in the race to become House Majority Leader. We add "surprisingly" because, quite frankly, his opposition, acting Majority Leader Roy Blunt, has had a clumsy last few months. In fact, he was considered weak.

Quite the contrary. According to TheHill's Daily Tally, Blunt has shored up 64 votes, while Boehner only has 35 votes. There is still time. Also, we cannot fail to note, Arizona Republican John Shadegg is mentioned as a conservative dark horse. House Leadership elections are at 1pm on February 2, two days after the State of the Union Address; so, technically, that leaves less than a month to sway the remaining House Republicans (116 members are needed for victory to be declared).

Both will have a last minute chance to sway still on-the-fence Republican members at The Conservative Member Retreat on Jan. 30 and 31 in Baltimore.



Oily superproducer Dino de Laurentis hoist his Thalberg. (image via oscars.org)

In: The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. It is not inconceivable that some day soon the Geezer's Oscar, AKA, The Irving Thalberg Award, may become -- to insiders, at least -- more prestigous than Best Director, Best Actor or Best Picture Oscar. Witness, from TheEnveloper:

"Robert Altman's selection as this year's honorary Oscar recipient has met with widespread approval, mixed with a little surprise that the famously iconoclastic 80-year-old director has agreed to the honor. As of very early Monday, we had yet to hear from Altman, who is currently working in London; an academy spokesperson indicated, however, that he would likely be doing interviews.

"Altman has been nominated for best director five times without ever winning, a record that ties him with Martin Scorsese, King Vidor, Alfred Hitchcock and Clarence Brown. Like Altman, Hitchcock and Vidor eventually received honorary awards.

"He's also been nominated twice as the producer of a best picture nominee, bringing his total record to 0-for-7 and placing him alongside actors Peter O'Toole and Paul Newman, both of whom had the same record when they accepted honorary awards. (Newman won a competitive Oscar the following year.) Federico Fellini was 0-for-12 in individual nominations when he was voted an honorary Oscar, though three of the movies he directed had won the foreign film award; Walter Lantz, on the other hand, was 0-for-10 without any mitigating factors when the board voted him an Oscar for his animated shorts."



(image via britishvogue)

Out: Tom Ford. Tom Ford is so yesterday. Today is Wale Adeyemi. According to British Vogue:

"WHO is fashion's next Tom Ford. According to Oxford University students, it's Wale Adeyemi � or at least it will be after January 30. The British designer has been invited to address the Oxford Union, just as Ford, Vivienne Westwood and an esteemed list of respected public figures, have done before him. 'This is such great news for Wale, a modest and hard-working designer from East London, to be grouped with the likes of Imran Khan, Clint Eastwood, Dalai Lama, Winston Churchill and so on.' A stylist for many years, Wale hit the public consciousness when he was enrolled as personal designer to Victoria Beckham. Since then his line of casualwear, B Side, has been worn by stars including Beyonc�, Missy Elliot, Usher and Alicia Keys.



(image via amazon)

In: Lions Gate's Crash Blitz. Creepy-crawly spiderlike director David Cronenberg may still want to kick Paul Haggis ass on the Lions Gate backlot, but the little-studio-that-could is going all out for the other Crash. Lions Gate, incidentally,

According to Cinematical:

"Lionsgate is putting all its Oscar money on Crash. They're sending out an astounding 130,000 screeners of Paul Hagis' film � about 10 times the usual screener push. The mailout will include all members of the Writers and Screen Actors Guilds, and unusual move that will put the ensemble drama directly in the hands of those professionals most likely to appreciate its strengths and overlook its weaknesses."

Lions Gate, which has a nice run atop the box office last weekend with Hostel, is also partnering with Starbucks.



(image via ohnotheydidnt)

Out: Kirsten Dunst. This was not an inspired ensemble, to be sure. (The Corsair sips a 1997 Pouilly Fuisse White Burgundy) glass of Perhaps all the partying is getting to her.



The stink eye. (image via soapsgirl)

In: Passions Goes Sci-Fi. Starting February 6, "Passions" is being rerun from the first episode on -- inspired choice -- the Sci-Fi channel. Our old friend the excellent Mr.Mickey, who loves this, writes on the Papermag blog:

"MM is a devoted Soap Opera viewer. Thanks to his friends the Trinity, he's also a subscriber to Soap Opera Digest!

"One of the things currently on soaps that MM lives for is Mrs Wallace on Passions. Let's be frank kids, Passions is at the bottom of the ratings and there are some things about it that are pretty poor (MM detests the Theresa/Gwen/Ethan triangle even though Ethan is gorgeous). Still when Passions gets nutty, it's magic. Tabitha the witch played by the amazing Juliet Mills is riveting. Hello!

"She and her daughter Endora accidentally conjured up an earthquake/tsunami in Massachusetts! That's what I call must-see tv! Mrs Wallace, played by Kathleen Noone, is a booze-swilling, diaper-wearing former town floozy who is hilarious and delightful. She used to have an orangutan named Precious as a nurse and MM cried when Precious left! Passions needs more Mrs Wallace (and her demented homocidal sidekick Norma) and less of evil Alistair Crane killing his daughter Sheridan's boyfriends. Vive les Freaks!!!!"

"The Trinity"?